I want to escape from here.
I want an adventure. I want exotic places and foreign languages. I want
to travel place to place, living on the good company of others. Staying up late
listening to stories, sharing meals with strangers, experiencing life!
I can’t do routine. I get bored and grow impatient. It’s so
hard for me to stick to one thing until it’s complete. I’m that person who
always has 5 books on the go but never finishes any of them. I like learning
lessons as quickly as possible so I can check them off my list and move on to
the next one.
I feel like I’m constantly in a state of waiting, waiting
for school to end, waiting for the right guy to come along, waiting for God to
direct my career path. I’m sick of preparing myself for these unknowns, how
long do I have to be patient for Gods timing? Most days it doesn’t feel like He
hears me or cares about using this small life.
I wonder if this is how Joseph felt all those years ago,
sold into slavery at age 17 by his jealous brothers, only to be unjustly
sentenced to years in an Egyptian prison (Genesis 39). Interpreting dreams in
the quiet of the night, darkness his constant companion. I imagine him crying
out to God in his loneliness, “Have you forgotten about me? You gave me this
gift, why don’t you let me use it? I’ve been faithful to you, keeping your
commands, so why does it feel like you are punishing me!”
We know from the Bible that God was with Joseph the whole
time. That he loved him deeply and had an incredible plan for his life.
These dry
years were crucial in shaping Josephs character into one of a Godly leader.
Time in the “wilderness” is a constant theme throughout the Bible, from the
Israelites to Elijah to John the Baptist and Jesus.
God brings all those he
loves through the “wilderness."
Why?
These desert experiences strip us of
worldly comforts, sometimes even human support; we are forced to fully depend
on God. Our faith and love for him grows as we see his providence unfold before
our eyes. Our perspective switches from confidence in our own abilities to
confidence in God’s abilities. Humility, thankfulness and a thirst for living
water is all that survives here.
And so I am learning that these dry, lonely times of waiting
can actually be my most intimate and joyful times with my King!
If you are going through a dry season, look up these other
desert stories and be refreshed by how our Lord sustains us once again! Draw
near to Him, He is waiting for you.
Israelites – Exodus 16
David – Psalm 13, 4, 16
Elijah – 1 Kings 17
Jesus – Mark 8:1-21
Love,
Kaitie
An entry for the "Get Real Series" happening every Monday on the ForeverHis blog
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